Doctor Mario
by PencilGirl92
Summary: Has the latest of Mario's battles killed the man everyone knew as their hero? When Mario has a chance to see what life is like without his hero title and instead with the doctor title he's always wanted, he sees for the first time what he could do for himself… and must figure out whether his family loves him or needs him… (Many more characters than noted...)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Seed of Doubt

"So you really want to go back there, huh?"

The voice caused a chill down Mario's spine.

"Tell me… what's waiting for you there?"

"My family; my friends."

"Yes. That much is true. But do you know what your family and friends need? Why do they appreciate you? …actually that's a bad term. They _don't_ appreciate you anymore, do they?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you've been the hero for… oh, so many years. They've gotten used to it… taken you for granted… needy, dependent, always laying their burdens on your shoulders… I come to wonder why you don't get tired of it."

"I have to protect them."

"If their safety was guaranteed, would you even want to go back?"

"Mushroom Kingdom is my home. I know nowhere else."

"I challenge you to go home, where you know, but as another man…"

"Another man?"

"Disguised… living not as the hero they depend on, but as what you've always wanted to be… a doctor. I challenge you to watch your family. I challenge the fact that they love you for more than your heroics. Especially that brother of yours!"

"Luigi?" Mario finally turned around, but still the source of the voice was unknown to him in the strange void where he was standing. "Of course he does… he's my brother."

"Was there ever a time that you were _not_ looking out for him? Ever a time when he didn't need you? He's as needy as they come!"

Mario felt a surge of anger as he felt he needed to protect his brother from this dishonor. "I will thwart your challenge!"

The voice laughed. "Even now, you protect him. Perhaps the true challenge will be leaving that life behind."

"And if you're wrong?"

"I doubt I am, but perhaps I can grant a wish if you are right. But you must not tell them your true identity, or that you live."

"I accept those terms."

.

Mario found himself in the Mushroom Kingdom, where he worked in the hospital's ER, his dream job. It was as if he had been here forever. He knew his schedule; he had a place to live on the outskirts of the kingdom. He had a clipboard in the crook of his arm as he stood outside a room. He peeked inside the room and swallowed. He had never even imagined that his first patient would be Luigi.

His baby brother did not look good. Princess Daisy was by his side, holding his gloved hand, which Mario noticed was barely white anymore. It was stained with the blood from his left arm's wound. He remembered seeing him from a distance, before the explosion that ended his former life. He was clutching that arm with his opposite hand, as was apparent by the stains, and calling out to him.

Mario shook the image from his mind and approached his patient's bed. The princess looked up at him. She would not recognize him. No one would. He checked Luigi's vitals and wrote some notes down on the patient information sheet in his clipboard. To know the green-clad Mario brother was rare in the Mushroom Kingdom, so he did his best to pretend he did not. "Name?"

Daisy's voice was brittle, "L-Luigi…" She spoke more silently than Mario had ever heard her. She answered all of Mario's questions the same way, until he got to: "Next of kin?"

Daisy looked at Luigi's face. The plumber's eyes were shut, his lips contorted into a painful grimace. "He… Just put _me_ down for that. I'm not his family but… he's my…" Mario held his breath. He had never seen Daisy so broken.

"I'll be back in to check on him later." He left the room and stopped in the hallway, letting out a sigh. It was then that he noticed that Toad and Toadette were waiting in the hallway. "How is Master Luigi?" Toad asked. "Is he going to be alright?"

Mario looked down at their frightened faces. They cared about Luigi so much. It made Mario somewhat angry to know that they were about the only ones who did, besides him and Daisy, and even Princess Peach. Luigi was out there fighting too, but he didn't get any of the glory. And yet, Luigi had never shown any signs of envy toward his brother. On the contrary, Luigi looked at him with awe. He wanted to be just like him, though he never came close.

But as he thought about Luigi, he couldn't help but think about that voice that had created this life for him. He tried to stop himself from realizing there was some truth to her claims. Luigi had always been a needy brother, dependent on him for everything. After all, Mario had practically raised him, and kids only learn what they are taught and grown accustomed to. Still, now he was a grown man. There was no reason that he should be so dependent on his older brother still.

And just like that, the seed began to grow.

.

He had just left the room of a mushroom couple whose baby was very small and ill. However, with the Dr. Mario touch, the baby was almost completely healthy. A nurse came up to him anxiously. "Doctor, the patient in room 08 has finally woken up!" she traded clipboards with him, and he found himself holding Luigi's file once again. The green brother had been unconscious for the entire day, so Mario was eager to see how he was doing.

He walked through the hallway and had to keep from stopping short when he saw the princess herself in the hall, sitting silently with Toadsworth. Peach looked tired and sullen. Mario had never seen her so distraught. She was always so joyful, even when things seemed bleak. But now, she wore a true frown, something Mario had never seen past a small frown of concern. Her eyes were red and puffy. He longed to comfort her but knew he couldn't. Not as _Dr._ Mario. He passed her silently, watching as she held her eyes in her soaked gloved hands and wept. With a heavy heart, he slid into his brother's room.

Daisy, if it were possible, was in worse shape than Peach. There were dark circles under her eyes, and instantly, Mario realized that she was exhausted. She gazed at Luigi, not even noticing the doctor's entrance.

"I hear you're awake," Mario spoke.

Daisy looked over at him. Luigi's eyes fluttered to look directly at him. Mario felt a strange chill. Luigi had often looked at his brother; it was nothing different to see his eyes focused on his. But then again, it was very different. The look he gave was _so_ different. It was so odd to be an entirely _different person_ as his brother looked at him.

He tried to analyze the look Luigi was giving him right now. It was a hollow expression, but deep within it was something unfortunately familiar. Within it was expectation, expectation for this doctor to help him. Mario looked down at his clipboard. Expectation for help… "Neediness," the voice had said. And she was right. And here he was helping him again. Maybe this was part of that test. His family and friends would treat him the same as a stranger doctor as their beloved hero.

"Do you feel any pain?" he looked up from the paper, eager to get those thoughts out of his head.

Daisy turned to Luigi, who didn't utter a sound, let alone an answer. "Luigi…" she whispered. "The doctor asked—"

His eyes flicked toward her. Mario looked over at Daisy. Her eyes were shining with oncoming tears, something that almost never happened with the headstrong princess. She wrapped Luigi's bloodstained hand between her own and laid a soft kiss on his knuckles.

"Are you in pain, Luigi?"

Still, he did not speak, but he tightened his hand around Daisy's. Mario could tell he wasn't going to get anywhere with his questions. He'd never seen his brother so closed off.

Suddenly, he felt movement behind him. He turned to see Princess Peach. He tried to hold his expression as neutral as he could. She seemed to have calmed down a bit. Her eyes were still outlined in red, but her breathing was steady and calm.

"How is he?" she asked, addressing both Daisy and the doctor, but looking at Luigi.

Daisy stood, dropping Luigi's loosened hand, when the princess came in. "He's…" Daisy stopped, as if she didn't know what to say. "How are _you_?" she asked.

Peach tried an attempt at a smile. "I want to make sure Luigi's okay," she said.

Mario felt uncomfortable watching this exchange yet being unable to do anything about it. However, there was one note on his clipboard that he knew he had to bring up, as much as he hated to. "Since the patient is stable and awake now, it's safe to move him to another room out of the ER," he told the princesses.

"Thank you for your help, doctor," Daisy looked right at him. Mario was almost shocked to see such a look from her. She had been one person that was never hesitant to scold him, yell at him, or outright hate him. Usually it was for Luigi's sake.

 _Luigi…_ he thought. _Who I had often abandoned… who I had often forgotten and left forgotten in my shadow. She had every right._ Luigi _had every right to hate me… but he never did._ He was filled with more resolve. _You're wrong, you know. He's always loved me._

"But why?" the voice. "Because you were his brother? …or because you were his hero?"

"Doctor?" Daisy tilted her head.

Mario shook his head. "Sorry, miss. You are very welcome. It is my job, after all."

Daisy smiled at him and took his hands. "I thank you all the same."

Mario couldn't help but remember that one time he had saved her in Sarasaland, before she had officially met Luigi, before he had even known she and Peach were good friends. They had had a similar exchange back then:

 _The princess at the end of this castle was different than Peach. She was already halfway out of her heavy steel chains, undoubtedly tied around her when ropes could not do the trick. When she saw Mario, her face was a mixture of disappointment and relief, a very odd pair of emotions to be sure._

 _Mario approached her and said, "Princess Daisy?"_

 _"So," she looked him up and down. "You my knight in shining armor or something?"_

 _"…or something." For the first time, he felt uncomfortable in his heroics._

 _She scrunched her face in thought, and must have decided on being pleasant, because she said, "Thank you."_

 _"It's… well… I guess it's kind of my job."_

 _She smirked. "Thank you all the same."_

Mario had soon learned Daisy was a force to be reckoned with. She was no damsel in distress, and they never really talked much about his journey to Sarasaland to rescue that princess.

That was also perhaps the kindest she's ever been to him …not to say that she was cruel to him. That was not at all the case. But Mario couldn't help but believe, now, that Daisy was only kind to him when he was helping her in some way. And it was, indeed, the same look that she gave him then… the same words of gratitude… that she was giving him now.

Mario stated that he had to make arrangements for the transfer of rooms and left. He didn't like these new feelings at all, yet something in the back of his mind… or in the pit of his stomach… or in the depths of his soul… told him he's always had these thoughts.

"No, I haven't," he said aloud, knowing the voice could hear him. "You're tricking me."

"I am not tricking you. These thoughts and feelings are your own."

"You started me thinking about these things!"

"Or perhaps I pointed out the obvious. Stop being the perfect hero for once and start looking at things how they are."

 _"How they are."_ Mario shook his head with fierce determination. _It's not how they are._ Ever the hero, Mario found himself with a new job: protect his friends and family from this falsehood. Protect them from the thoughts that kept creeping into his mind… the seed of doubt that threatened to sprout.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Doubtful Still

It had been a few days since Luigi was taken out of his care. Mario tried to think of anything besides his baby brother, but he couldn't. All his life, he had watched over him. He didn't have that life now, and with everything else going on, it was oddly freeing. But still, deep down, he worried. After all, Luigi hadn't spoken a word, and that upset him.

He decided to stop by his new room. It was odd for an ER doctor to be down that hall, but it was his lunch break. After scarfing down his food, he headed towards the new room. Toad and Toadette were scurrying out, nearly tripping over each other in their haste. Toadette was dragging Daisy behind her, who looked no better than the last time Mario saw her. He wondered if she had slept at all these past few days. The mushroom children must have been taking care of that. They were headed in his direction, taking the princess to the cafeteria, no doubt.

They barely noticed him, which surprised him, but he let it go as he approached Luigi's room. He stood outside the door and saw Princess Peach by his side. He was startled to see her, because she was dressed in a drab, dreary grey. She had a black scarf around her neck, tied at her collarbone. She was watching as Luigi slept. At least his face held less pain.

Mario soon noticed that Peach was mumbling something. "I'll make you welcome at the castle, Luigi. I'll do… something… I owe you something. I have to… I have to make sure you're okay…" She tenderly brushed back the hair from his brow. "No one will miss him as much as you…"

Mario turned from the door and leaned against the wall. He longed to be a part of his family again. He wanted to share in their sorrows and enjoy their happiness when he revealed himself. But a deal's a deal. He retraced his steps to return to the ER. Toad and Toadette were trying their best to cheer up Daisy. At least Luigi was alive. At least she didn't have to mourn a lost love.

Toadette laughed at something her brother said, then was sent off to get something else to eat. She never paid attention when she walked excitedly, and for the second time in her life, she ran straight into Mario. "Yikes!" she gasped. "I'm sorry!"

Mario looked down at her. He remembered the first time she had run into him. She had actually fallen backward and cut her wrist on the hard gravel roadway:

 _Tears streamed from her eyes, but she looked up at the man fearfully. "I'm so sorry, sir!" she gasped out._

 _Toad came quickly to her aid, reminding Mario of his similar protection over Luigi._

 _"Sorry, sir," Toad said for her._

 _Mario knelt down. "It's not a problem… here… let me help you." He produced a first aid kid and proceeded to patch the little mushroom girl up._

 _"Thanks, sir! Thanks so much!" Toadette grinned, and her tears were gone._

That was long before he became an official hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. It was before everyone knew his name. It was before his constant cycle of saving Peach from Bowser began and ended.

"It's alright, kid," he said, trying to create a new character for himself. He offered his hand and helped her to her feet. "You're not trying to steal any food from here, are you?"

"Oh, no sir. I'm paying."

Mario chuckled. "Good."

Toadette had always been a sweet girl. She brought joy to everyone she came near, and _Doctor_ Mario was no exception. As hard as he tried not to be himself with her, she still brought out a very cheerful character that easily spoke to this girl as if they were as old of friends as she and Mario truly were.

She looked at him curiously, and then brightened. "You're Master Luigi's old doctor, aren't you?"

Mario inwardly winced at what he was about to say. "I am an ER doctor. I can't recall all of my cases."

"Right," she frowned slightly. "Well, still. Thank you. Even if you don't remember Luigi, I'm sure he'll remember you! And we'll all remember what you did for us!"

Those words reached beyond their intended meaning. Mario felt like Toadette was speaking right to _him_ , even though she obviously wasn't. She had no idea that those words connected in his mind as a thanks and appreciation for the hero.

"Actually…" Toadette was still saying, glancing quickly over her shoulder at Daisy and her brother. "Do you mind coming back to his room with us? You seemed to have a magic touch of sorts and Master Luigi…" she hung her head. "Do you think you could help him… just a bit more? I know you're on your break and all, but…"

Mario noticed how fitting her conversation continued to be to the current situation. With an inward sigh, he agreed to go back with them.

When they reached Luigi's room, Peach had tears threatening to fall again. She turned to Daisy as she came in. "He still hasn't spoken a word, Daisy…" she said.

Mario approached the patient, who was wide awake, saying, "If you cannot speak, that is a bad sign, and we may need to take you in for a head scan."

"We've done the tests twice now, doctor," Mario almost jumped at the sound of the nurse behind him. "He _can_ speak. He just chooses not to." He looked again at his brother. His eyes were locked on him.

Mario turned to Toadette. She was biting her lip nervously. Something about Luigi's appearance made the little girl nervous. She had always been about as attuned to his feelings as Daisy, even before he and Daisy had met at Peach's party. "I'll make sure he's taken care of," Mario assured them. With that, he left again.

.

Later that same night, he was on his way out when he heard Luigi's voice for the first time since Mario became a new man. It was hoarse, strained, but clear.

"Princess…" he was talking to Princess Peach. Mario recognized that formality. "Are you alright?"

"Luigi!" she sniffed. "You spoke!"

"Princess… get some rest. Stay in your castle and m…"

"It's alright," she insisted. "I'm okay. I just want to make sure you are, as well."

"Don't suffer for my sake, princess. You can m-mourn…"

"Luigi…"

"Please, don't feel responsible for me…"

"Neither of us can face this alone, Luigi." A pause. "We're in this together. Of course you can count on me to help you."

Mario watched as a nurse came in the room. "Excuse me, Your Highness… Visiting hours are over."

"Of course," Peach said with another sniff. "I'll be back tomorrow, Luigi, okay?"

Mario watched as she left the room, wiping her eyes with the tips of her gloved fingers, which were already marked up with her makeup. Seeing her like that broke his heart. He wanted to reach out and dry those tears himself. He wanted to hold her in his arms until she would never cry again.

"Anything else you need, sir?" the nurse asked inside.

Luigi did not speak.

"Good night, sir." The nurse left as well.

The hallway was dark and still. Only some machines' beeps could be heard in the eerie passage. That was, until Mario heard Luigi speak again. It was faint as a whisper, for that's all it was. He leaned closer to the door.

Luigi's voice trembled with quiet sobs as he wished, "Starlight, starbright, Luma up high yet still in sight… I wish I may, I wish I might… please hear the wish I wish tonight…" He paused, sighing. "Is it too much to wish he were still alive? Is it too much to wish he comes home to us?" His voice shook more. "I miss him. I miss him! I need him, stars… Can you hear my wish? Rosalina, Lumas, stars high above… please… Please! He can't be dead… He's… He's _Mario_! The greatest hero the world's ever seen! The best brother a guy could ask for. Please… We all need him… Why couldn't it have been me? They don't need me. _He's_ the one who really matters in this world…" His voice became more of a heaving sob now. "I need him. Please, bring him back to me… Please!"

Mario stepped away from the door and made his way down the darkened hall. True, Luigi only mentioned him as a hero once… and that was his "proof" that he should be alive, not a need for his return. But he _had_ mentioned needing him. Just as the voice had labeled him "needy," his brother's own words seemed to prove it. He continued walking down the hall, unable to ignore the nipping feeling in his heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

They Called Him Hero

Everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom attended. It wasn't mandatory or anything, but every mushroom citizen wanted to pay their respects to the hero.

The ceremony was beautiful, Mario had to admit. The music was Toadofsky's finest. Everyone was dressed in dark, gloomy colors. Each held a single red flower in honor of the hero. Mario scanned his eyes across the attendees. Peach would be giving some sort of speech, so she sat up front. Next to her was Luigi. Mario could barely see him. He was hunched over. Daisy was rubbing his back. Toad and Toadette were fidgeting beside her. Toadette couldn't seem to properly frill the black bow on her right braid. Toad was picking at a loose thread on his brown vest.

At the front, on the stage, was a shrine of sorts. On it were some odds and ends from Mario's house. An extra hat, a picture or two, a letter or journal entry or something. Mario couldn't tell from his vantage point.

Peach stepped in front of the stage and the mourners quieted down. Even Toad and Toadette looked up from their fussing. "Thank you for coming," Peach's voice was hollow. Mario had never heard her speak like that before. Whenever she would address her people, her voice was always full of hope, even in the bleakest times. Her voice had a high-pitched tone, but today it was low and solemn. "Mario—" She fought back a sob. "Mario would have appreciated seeing so many of his friends… and fans, I suppose."

Mario swallowed. _"Fans"?_ He thought about it. _Well, for those of them who didn't exactly know me… I suppose I can't fault them for that._ He squeezed his eyes shut. _What am I saying? I shouldn't put anyone at fault for anything! Stupid voice in my head…_

"First of all, it isn't hard to state that Mario was a hero. Everyone knew that. We could always count on him to fight evil and save the princess." She smiled slightly. "He was always there when we needed him, and he was even there before we knew we needed him." She became a little more comfortable at her place on stage, but her voice threatened to tremble. "I remember, when I was just a teen, stubborn as they come. It was the first time I had ever seen Mario. He was jumping up a construction zone to save a girl from a giant ape. Everyone began to call him 'that jump man' after that, but I knew better. That was when I first recognized him as a hero."

Mario couldn't help the nagging thought that came after she said that. _She was there?_ He had no idea she had been watching him. He thought he had just met that girl casually after saving his then-girlfriend, Pauline. But Peach had met him, seeing him as a hero. She had fallen for him, as a hero.

"I actually talked with him later that day…" Peach continued. "And that's when I learned that he was not only the kingdom's hero, but the hero of his little brother." She gestured to Luigi, and for the first time, perhaps in his life, the Mushroom Kingdom citizens looked at the younger man. His eyes did not connect with anyone, though. They remained downcast. "He was going home to help him through a fever."

Mario remembered that day clear as if it was yesterday. After saving Pauline and receiving the worst gratitude ever, he broke off with her and returned home to his sick kid brother. Unfortunately, his true enemy of his childhood days, Powser, Bowser's father, and a greater threat at that time than his son, had poisoned his brother with a poison shroom. He had almost lost Luigi that day, but he was able to save him. Yes, he was his brother's hero.

"Mario never fought for glory." Peach was saying now. "He never fought for the recognition or the fame, though it came easily to him. He fought for what was right. He fought to save a damsel in distress. He fought to protect a kingdom. He fought for the sake of home, family, and friends. We must remember him for this. He was truly a great hero, great for the reason he fought, not for his ability." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "May Mario be in the Overthere, watching us from above, smiling down on his home and family. May he be blessed forever."

The mourners murmured their agreements as Princess Peach took her seat. She nudged Luigi, who was apparently the next in line to speak. He shook his head, and Daisy said something to Peach, who nodded. She then turned to Toad and Toadette. Toad stood up and ran to the front. "That's all we have in the way of speeches," he told them. "Let us now honor our fallen hero with the flower ceremony."

Mario felt odd carrying a flower to his own shrine, but if he didn't, it would have been very suspicious. He was able to see that front row of mourners after he placed the flower on the shrine top with the hundred others. Peach was weeping silently, still wiping her eyes with her fingertips, which weren't stained with her makeup this time. Luigi was staring at the shrine, watching each flower as it was placed on the pile, wincing at each one, as if each flower that was placed further proved Mario's fate. Daisy still had her arm around him but wasn't really looking at anything, just staring into space. Toad was up by the table, making sure none of the flowers fell. Toadette was fidgeting with that bow again, as if it was the most important thing in the world.

The afternoon was bright, but Mario felt nothing but a gloomy overcast of sadness. He left the mourning site quickly and returned home. Two weeks had passed since he had begun his new life. For two weeks, he had watched his friends mourn for him, his brother muted with sadness. He hated it. _I'm right._ He thought. _They care. Is this not proof enough?_

"Not yet."

.

Mario would not normally have had the time to wander through the Mushroom Kingdom Library, but he had discovered a new hobby. Reading tales that had nothing to do with his own heroics was interesting to him. He often found himself scolding the characters through the pages, as if they could hear him. He found that the endings dragged on longer than necessary. Surely such meaningful conversation and big changes would not happen in real life.

He was actually quite interested in the history section of the library. It was on one day that he was scouring the shelves for something that interested him when he heard a familiar voice.

"It took him quite awhile to finally write that last chapter," the librarian told the familiar princess.

Daisy followed her down the aisle. "Could you expect anything else? He was mourning him."

"The memorial has been long over."

"He was his brother."

"Yes, well. We've been expecting _something_ from him for quite some time, the way you raved on and on about his skill with the pen."

"He was waiting for a perfect ending. Too bad it _was_ so perfect."

"The Mushroom Kingdom has truly lost a great man."

They were now right next to Mario. Daisy gave a polite smile his way and they both watched as the librarian slid a thick, leather-bound book at the edge of the history section.

"So sad to consider him 'history', no? It truly gives him the label of 'gone.'"

"Why not put it in the biography section?"

"Because he has given this kingdom so much history!"

"I suppose…"

The librarian walked away as Daisy continued to look at the new book's spine.

"A brand new book?" Mario asked.

Daisy nodded. "Yeah." She turned to look at him. "Actually written by…" She stopped herself. "Do you know Mario?"

"The hero? I believe everyone does."

"Yeah, that was a dumb question…" She pulled out the book, holding it gently as if it was made of glass. "This book was written by his brother. You may know him as a green-clad guy?"

Mario dared to let his character remember his own connection. "Ah, Luigi."

Daisy looked up at him in shock. "Yes."

"I was his doctor in the ER. How is he?"

"Oh yeah… You did look familiar. Sorry, doc. He's g—Well, he's not good, but… hopefully he gets there."

"His injury is still causing him pain? I could write up a prescription for some pain medication—"

"No, nothing like that. Physically, he's fine. A bit of a sore arm, but other than that, healthy as a horse. It's his emotional health I'm worried about. But I guess the fact that he could finish this story says he's progressing okay…"

For the first time, Mario looked at the title of the book. There, in bold-faced calligraphy were the words: **The Story of Super Mario**. "He wrote down his stories?" Mario asked. He knew Luigi told his stories to the mushroom kids, but he never knew he had actually written them down. And that book was a pretty decent sized volume. He could barely believe it was all about him.

Luckily, Daisy took his question as a shock that Mario's stories were captured, not that Luigi wrote down stories the stranger knew he spoke. Otherwise, he may not have been able to keep his identity. "Yes. Mario was his muse, I guess. Luigi was always so full of joy to write about his brother. It all started when Mario left him on one of his journeys. Um…" she fingered through the pages and found a middle chapter. "This is when he started writing… though it's not when the hero's story begins, according to Luigi."

Mario took the book from Daisy and saw that the chapter was about his journey that led him to meet Mallow and Geno, as well as be joined by the princess herself and even Bowser, back before he officially could be called Mario's teammate. He remembered leaving Luigi behind that day he went to save the princess. He never complained and stayed behind as he was bid for journeys after that as well.

He flipped through the book, which contained many more chapters, before and after. "May I check this out?"

"That's the librarian's job, doc," Daisy noted. "But I'll have to tell Luigi that he's got a fan already!" She winked and left Mario to continue paging through.

The first chapter told of his adventures with the Yoshis, those friendly dinosaurs that had their own island and their own story to tell. The Mario Brothers had actually returned to Yoshi Island as adults with no memory of their infancy with them, but they learned more than just memories of their past. Luigi must have gotten every detail, though, because there, in his elegant hand and prose, was their story.

And it went on to their childhood, before Mario had even become famous. There, Luigi told of the hero his brother had been to him, the responsibility he had over him. He wrote about how he raised him after their parents died so suddenly, parents that Luigi did not even remember. His words brought tears to Mario's eyes.

Then the story told of his first adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom, how he saved Princess Peach for the first time without much in the appearance of directions. And from there, all the subsequent adventures, which did not even become repetitive or dull in Luigi's hand. Still, Mario did not want to read of his exploits, so the next thing he read was the last chapter, where Luigi described the battle that had changed the Mushroom Kingdom forever:

" _ **When the smoke cleared, only Luigi remained. The green-clad brother who could not hope to fill the shoes of the hero. But for once, the Mushroom Kingdom was not threatened, not in any danger. Mario was gone, but perhaps peace will remain.**_ "

"Their hero has done what he needed to do, would you not agree?" Hearing the question, Mario's brow furrowed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You read it for yourself. Mario's gone, but the kingdom's at peace for once. Seems like the people of the Mushroom Kingdom think that's a fair enough trade."

Mario closed the book and slid it back on the shelf. He hadn't noticed how long he'd been standing there, reading that book.

"And in the history section… they don't care about you as a person, just as a stepping stone in history. Otherwise, you'd be with the biographies."

Mario tried not to agree, but even Daisy didn't put up much of a fight for the matter. Then again, Daisy wasn't the best go-to for friendly relationships with him. _Surely, Luigi would've if he could._

He shook his head and went to leave the library. He wondered why his brother never showed him his work-in-progress book. He had obviously been working on it for quite some time. But if Mario hadn't 'died,' he may never have seen it. What had kept Luigi from sharing it?

He got to his home, which was conveniently in view of his old house. He looked out the window, wondering what Luigi was doing… what he was thinking… how he was mourning and whether he had spoken at all, especially since the memorial three days ago.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Pauline

Mario's work at the hospital never slowed down. He started to feel like the constantly needed hero again. Of course, being the heroic personality that he was, he _would_ be a doctor. Just in time for him to feel exhausted, he was granted a week for vacation.

He decided there was no better vacation spot than Delfino Island, where his last vacation had gone entirely wrong. There would be no princess to save… Just him and the sandy beaches, exciting coasters, and, of course, the endless food!

In no time, he was stretched out on the beach, sipping a fruity smoothie and wearing shades against the glow of the shine sprite. He had always loved the anonymity that Delfino Island had always granted him. Being the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom made it hard to walk around without people wanting to talk to you. At Delfino, besides the ones who arrested him, the citizens went about their normal lives without a second glance at him.

He gazed out toward the ocean. There were some vacationers surfing out there. Children were tossing a beach ball to each other. Teenagers were riding the surf into the shore. He remembered when he came here for spring break when attending college for the hope of a doctor's degree in a few years. He felt sick with his lost dreams. Then he remembered his second chance and smiled.

He was just about to close his eyes again, when a familiar figure caught his eye. He hadn't seen her in years, but that flowing brown hair and deep red lipstick was hard to mistake. Her red swimsuit was nothing but flattering as she stood on her surfboard, letting the strikingly contrasted blue wave take her up and around.

He lowered his sunglasses and stared. _Wow._

She came back onto the shore and stuck her board in the sand. She ran her long, red fingernails through her hair and shook it back and forth. Mario noticed he was staring and quickly put his sunglasses back up.

 _I shouldn't be interested in her anyway. I broke it off with her for a reason._ Now if he could just remember what that reason was.

He shook his head, but he stood and approached her. She was combing her fingers through her hair as he stood next to her. "You were amazing out there," he noted when they were side by side.

She turned to him with a start. "Thanks, hun. I've been surfing for awhile, and I think I finally got it."

"Oh, you've definitely got it." Mario scolded himself at such a line.

But she smiled and blinked flirtatiously, and she offered her hand to shake. "My name is Pauline."

He took it. "Can I get you a smoothie, Pauline?"

She flashed another smile and grabbed her board. "I'd be happy to accept that offer."

The two of them headed for the drink stand. Mario treated her to a fruit smoothie and sat with her as she enjoyed her drink. "So, what do you do for a living?" she asked him.

"I'm a doctor."

"Really?" Pauline was instantly interested. No surprise. She was interested those years ago, too.

"I'm on my vacation now. I was granted a week without worries."

"A week without germs and incompetent employees and angry patients?"

"Yeah. That too."

.

Mario enjoyed many more smoothies with Pauline in the next couple days. She even offered to help him learn to surf, though that ended poorly for him. He decided to quit for his health, and she laughed in agreement.

It was nothing like Mario remembered. Pauline was so easy to be with. What had held him back from this in the past? He suddenly remembered something:

 _Luigi stood quietly in the doorway as Mario closed the door behind Pauline. He looked like he had something on his mind. Mario was pretty sure he wouldn't say anything unless he got it out of him. "You okay, there Weeg?" he asked._

 _His brother stared at the floor, "Um… yeah…"_

 _"Don't be like that, bro. You obviously have something on your mind. Spill."_

 _Luigi looked up at him timidly. "I don't want to butt in… I don't want to get you mad either…"_

 _"I promise I won't be mad. Just tell me what you want to say."_

 _"It's Pauline…"_

 _"You don't like her, huh?"_

 _"I don't think she likes me any better… She always seems so annoyed at me. She wants you all to herself. But if you really… REALLY like her…"_

 _"Aw, Weegie, don't worry your hat off." Mario grabbed his little brother's hat and tousled his hair. "I'll keep an eye out for how she treats you. If she can't get along with you, no sense dating me, right?"_

 _Luigi grinned. "You're okay?"_

 _"Of course."_

Pauline was nasty toward Luigi. She saw him as a bother. Mario was beginning to think that she was his first sign that something was wrong with his life. And that was before he saved Pauline from the giant ape! Sure, he had a fuzzy memory that she was kinda mean to him after he rescued her. But could he blame her? She was frazzled!

It made Mario angry to think of what he missed with Pauline. Sure, almost immediately afterward, he had Peach, but what if he and Pauline had never broken it off?

Pauline leaned into him one day before she left for her hotel room, saying, "There's a movie playing at one of the beaches tonight… Some story of when their sprite stopped shining or something. Interested?" She was just like Mario remembered. He couldn't imagine not being with her, just like how she had hooked him in his teenage years.

"I'm in."

"Great! I'll see you there."

Mario couldn't help but watch her walk away.

.

The movie was about him. He nearly fell back in shock when he saw the first scene. There was his doppleganger making a mess of the place. Of course, it wasn't the story quite as he remembered it. The filmmakers made him out to look like a reckless hero. He didn't have a thought for the people of Delfino, and when the hero's girlfriend was captured, he was a jerk to anyone who may have even accidentally slowed him down. They also didn't get the bit about Bowser Jr. not actually being Peach's kid, but that was another story.

Mario was glad when it was over.

"Hm…" Pauline hummed in disdain beside him.

"Didn't like it?" he asked hopefully.

"Not at all." She turned to him. "I actually knew the man that was the hero in that film… Mario."

Mario was surprised to hear his name. It hadn't come up in someone's speech for quite awhile to him.

"He was actually my boyfriend for some time." She turned away in a sort of act of shyness. "Oh, there's no way you'll believe me, huh? But it's true. I dated Super Mario. That movie… It didn't do him justice. He was an extraordinary hero. Too bad he never got a chance to be anything else. I think that's why it ended between me and him."

Mario tried his best to analyze this woman. He had broken it off with her… but could it be he had indeed misread the whole situation? Could it be that Pauline would have given him the life he wanted… life as a doctor, not a superhero… life saving lives, not one princess…?

As if in answer to his thoughts, she fluttered her eyelashes at him. Suddenly, his phone rang.

Mario sighed and opened the device. "Hello?"

"Sorry to disturb you on your vacation and all," a woman's voice. It was a nurse from the hospital. "…but we lost a patient's file and it was one that you treated."

"Name?"

"Um…" The voice got smaller, as if she was calling to another nurse. "What did she say his name was?"

"Ruigi?"

"Luigi?" Mario asked into the phone. Pauline's eyes perked at the name, but it was easily cast aside. "The hero's brother?"

"Yeah, that's the one!" the nurse nearly shouted. "Anyway, we can't find his file."

"He's back in? Did he sustain further injury?"

"Um, no… it's nothing you need to worry about, sir… just a regular visit."

"A visit to a hospital is never regular. Did I do something wrong?"

"There's nothing we can see going on with him. We're starting some scans and x-rays, but there's nothing we're seeing physically right now." Mario remembered what Daisy had said when he saw her in the library. Luigi was fine, physically… but could there possibly be something that his emotions are doing to him? Medically, it was possible for heartbrokenness to cause some health issues.

As much as it irritated him, he decided he had to leave vacation early. "I'm going to check in on him. I know where his file is, and I have developed a rapport with his friends. I'll get to the bottom of it." He closed his phone.

Pauline sighed. "They can't function without you, hun?" she leaned into him, her lips almost touching his cheek.

"I guess they still need you," that voice was back.

Mario sighed.

"You can't even have a well-deserved vacation."

He turned to Pauline. "I'll call you," he said, and he stood up to leave.

"I'll be waiting," Pauline leaned over strategically to look up at him with the most longing eyes he'd ever seen on a woman.

Sighing again, he headed to the airport, where he would purchase an emergency ticket for an immediate flight home. His trip to Delfino was again cut short, for the third time in his life.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Questionnaire

"Doc, you have any idea what's going on with him?" Daisy asked anxiously when Mario left the room. She and Toadette were the only ones there this time.

"He's sick because he's sad!" Toadette insisted. "You should've seen him, Mr. Doctor! You did, actually! You saw how broken he was the last time he was in here!"

Mario swallowed. She was right. What was happening was not strictly medical or physical. He was ill with despair.

Suddenly, there were some screams down the hallway. "Move it or lose it!" came a gruff voice Mario never expected to hear in his hospital. Bowser came trampling down the hallway.

Toadette gasped, "What's the matter?"

"What? I'm not allowed to visit Green-Mario?" Bowser rumbled.

"Bowser!" Daisy growled herself. "You're causing chaos!"

"That's what I do," Bowser shrugged. "It's not my fault those little shroom heads still can't take the fact that I'm not going to be trying to take over their little kingdom!" He slid his claw across his chin. "Then again… with Mario gone and unable to thwart any plans…"

"That's cruel, Bowser!" Toadette cried.

"I used to _be_ cruel!"

"You were just poorly influenced." The little girl put a hand on his knee, for that's all she could reach. "We know that wasn't you."

Bowser blinked down at her.

"Let out your grief in a less risky place, okay, Mr. Bowser?"

It always made Mario crack up to hear the little polite mushroom girl call the King Koopa, who had been a threat to the Mushroom Kingdom for years, "Mr. Bowser." But Mario was able to hold it together while Bowser growled and stalked out of the hospital the way he had come.

"He's just as sad as the rest of us, you know," little Toadette told Daisy.

"Hard to believe with how he's acting."

Mario would have liked to say it's not much different than how _she_ normally acted, just less scary due to her not being a spikey, fire-breathing koopa. But that would have made her just as scary as Bowser any day.

"It's been more than a month…" Daisy was mumbling now. "We need to get on with our lives…"

"How can you say that, Princess Daisy?" Toadette's eyes filled with tears. "He was such a big part of everyone's life… And Luigi…"

"That's how I can say it! Luigi! Look at him!" The princess was nearly shouting, gesturing wildly into the room, narrowly missing the doctor's face with her hand. "I hate seeing him like that! It's what I've been trying to prevent since I met him!"

Mario looked back in at his brother. Luigi was groaning, shaking his head back and forth. Under the sheets, his legs were moving, twitching as if he was trying to get away.

Daisy noticed it too. "The nightmares haven't stopped. Knowing Weegie, they've probably gotten worse." She turned now to Mario, a pleading look in her eyes. "You can help him, can't you? Maybe give him some sort of medicine to stop the nightmares?"

"That kind of medicine doesn't exist," Mario shook his head. "But he can stay in the hospital until he recovers from his recent illness. In the meantime…" This is something he had been planning since he was taken from Delfino Island. "…I'm going to have to ask you folks some questions. You, the other princess, the two mushroom kids, and anyone else who has had contact with Luigi… and his brother."

"Mario? Why?"

"Because that hero is connected to all of you. For me to know how to help Luigi, I need to learn what I can about him." That was half-true. Knowing about a patient certainly helped you care for him or her accordingly, but he already knew his brother's needs. Now, he was going to find out who was right: that voice, who was slowly gaining his belief… or him, who was starting to seem like a cheery, unrealistic optimist.

.

Mario set up a place in the cafeteria to talk to them. He started with Daisy, since she was already there. "Mario… was a hero to everyone… Did he ever save you directly?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered guardedly. "He did."

"Hm," he replied, urging her with his eyes to continue.

"What?" She growled. "Yeah. He saved me. He's a hero after all. It's his job." She was very curt and blunt in her reply.

"So you expected no less from him? Ever stop to think how he felt?"

"Look, I don't pretend to know what was ever going through that man's mind. Most of the time, I didn't care enough to worry about it. He seemed happy enough, and I had more important things to worry about."

"Running a kingdom?"

"Well, sure… that. But mainly Luigi." She narrowed her eyes. "You know, your _patient_. The one that everyone tends to forget? Even your stupid nurses couldn't even do anything to take care of him without his stupid file!" Her temper was rising. "Do you know how sick he is, Doctor? You probably couldn't understand anyway…"

Mario gritted his teeth. "That's what I'm trying to do, Princess. I'm understanding these brothers by talking to their friends."

"Well, get on with it then!"

"Luigi obviously means a lot to you… for you to consider _him_ your number one priority."

"Of course he does!"

Mario steeled himself to ask the next question. It almost made him sick thinking of that one, simple word: "Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why," Mario refrained from taking a deep breath, "would he, the younger, lesser-known brother, mean so much to you?" Even with all of his doubts toward his friends and family, Mario hated asking that question. When his brother was so down on himself about how he did not deserve the princess's affections, he had been resolute in showing him otherwise. But he had never really known Daisy's side. As wrong as Luigi was about his fallacies, he was right when he related being the weaker brother… the less renowned…

Daisy's eyes flared, similarly to how she looked when Mario had unknowingly disappointed his brother in some way. "How dare you?!"

"You didn't answer the question."

"Luigi offers so much more than his brother ever did, Doctor!"

Mario was taken aback.

"Luigi is kind-hearted, gentle-souled, and his brother barely deserved it!" She was on the brink of tears. "And yet Luigi felt like _he_ was the unworthy one!" She took a deep breath. Next, she spoke rather quietly and calmly. "Mario did his part to build Luigi up. That was the best I've ever seen him. That's how I'll remember him." She looked up, as if looking up to the Overthere. "If you could, Mario… do this last thing for Luigi. Let him find happiness despite your death. He needs you now more than ever, because he's lost you." The tears threatened to fall, but they stayed there in the crest of her eyes, giving a more dramatic look to them.

Daisy never liked him that much. Mario was aware of that. But to listen to her speak about him in such a way… to give him the benefit of the doubt… Daisy, the one who was always harsh to him. Maybe she was the key to proving that they cared. She didn't say a thing about Mario being a hero. She specifically said she'd remember him for how he was with Luigi… how much he cared about his brother.

He couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, princess. That clears up quite a few things," he told her, truly grateful. _Take that._ He mentally told the voice.

.

He saved his next interview for the following day. Princess Peach had come to visit Luigi, so Mario talked with her while Luigi slept. "Mario meant a lot to you, didn't he?"

She nodded. "Yes. He meant a lot to me. He meant a lot to my kingdom. He was our hero."

Mario winced inwardly.

"Take that," the voice retorted.

Mario tried to ignore it as he asked, "And you? What did you do for him?"

She looked up, puzzled. "What do you mean?

"Surely a hero deserves some sort of… compensation? …for his trouble."

"I never figured he needed much more compensation than gratitude and the occasional cake. He was always happy to do it. He had such a good heart. He was more than thrilled to protect me and my kingdom."

Before the latest battle, Mario would have agreed. He never knew how much he really hated his life. Sure, he enjoyed it sometimes. And he certainly enjoyed the cake. And, of course, all the attention that his fame granted him. But it exhausted him. He never noticed that until now. So as much as he thought he should agree with Peach, he knew she was wrong… He wasn't thrilled to do it. It was just his job.

"So… he was just there as a protector… a soldier against anything that would come to threaten you?"

Peach furrowed her brow. "No, that's not what I meant."

"A tool for you to take advantage of. No need to worry when you were captured. No need to fight back or even build up some sort of guard to protect yourself. Because Mario would take care of it."

Her face moved into what he figured was anger, though he had never really seen Peach get angry before. "Now just a minute! That's not how it was at all!"

"You're a princess. Your people worry about you. Your chancellor would be a nervous wreck. But you always felt safe because Mario was there."

"Yes, I did feel safe because I knew he would protect me. Is that so wrong?"

An uncomfortable silence followed.

Here was Peach, someone Mario thought he loved, and all the time, she had been using him. "Using you to protect her and her kingdom…" the voice said. "Giving you no more than thanks and cake to reward you… Leaving you wanting more…"

Mario couldn't deny it. _Why can't I deny it? Why can't I argue it? Is she really right? Have I misread my relationship with Peach that badly?_

"You're better off with Pauline. Forget the princess. She's always been way out of your reach."

.

The mushroom children were next. They were sitting together on a bench outside, away from the despair of the hospital… Luigi's negative zone. Toad had gotten them ice cream cones. Mario took a seat on a bench across from them.

"Figured you'd come eventually…" Toad mumbled. "I hear you've been asking questions about Master Mario."

"Mind answering some?" Mario asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

Mario chuckled. "You didn't know him as well as the others, I believe?"

"We may not have been as close with him, sure. But he's done a lot for us. I won't deny that he was just as much a friend and hero to us as to the kingdom."

Mario noted that he said " _friend_ and hero," so his hopes were high for Toad. He turned to Toadette. "And you?"

"Toad speaks for both of us."

Mario nodded. "But you seem to have a closer relationship to Luigi than you did with Mario… maybe even a closer relationship than the brothers—"

"No way!" Toadette gasped. "No one was as close as Master Mario and Master Luigi!"

Mario tilted his head. "He didn't express anything to you he wouldn't tell his brother? Jealousies? Disappointments?"

"Luigi was never jealous of Mario…" Toadette insisted.

"He often compared himself to his brother, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but in a way that he wanted to be just like him because he looked up to him." Toadette shook her head. "He would never be jealous of Mario. Master Luigi's not that kind of person."

Mario's pride was a bit injured that she didn't call him "Master" Mario as she called Luigi "Master Luigi" in that particular line. "And what about how much he needed Mario?"

"He needed him very much," Toadette agreed. "But that's something anyone could see. He never stated it himself."

Mario turned to Toad, who shrugged. "Didn't say anything to me either," the kid expressed.

.

The last interview would have been with Bowser, but the Koopa King had made himself busy in his castle and couldn't be disturbed. He wouldn't have had much good to say about him anyway, and Mario's real goal was to prove the voice wrong.

And yet he believed that, slowly but surely… he was proving her right.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Anonymous

Luigi was doing better, much to the relief of his friends, who were still visiting him constantly. Mario found one quiet moment with him after visiting hours one night. He was making notes on his clipboard when his baby brother spoke for the first time to the doctor.

"Are the others alright?"

Mario looked up. "How do you mean?"

"I heard you were talking with them a bit…" Luigi was sitting up against his pillows. The color had almost completely returned to his face. "Did they seem okay?"

"They're worried about you, if that's what you mean."

"That's _not_ what I mean…"

Mario studied his face. Luigi's eyes were downcast, and he was lacing and unlacing his fingers. "You're asking if their worried about something else…" Mario realized. "The great hero…"

Luigi visibly swallowed, and tears gathered in his eyes. "Yes," he said weakly.

Mario turned back to his clipboard. "I don't think they're grieving as badly as the last time you were here."

"I wish they didn't have to worry about me on top of everything," Luigi said softly, but Mario heard him. He looked up again from his notes and saw that tears were flowing now past Luigi's shut eyes. "I'm causing nothing but more grief for them."

Mario had to hold back the urge to tell him he was worth that grief. Even now, as a new man, he wanted to reassure his baby brother. He wanted to tell him that he was as worthy of their worry as he was. Luigi… who never gave himself a second thought above anyone else. _How can you call him selfish and needy?_ He mentally asked. _Sure, he's needy… but not purposely._

"Prove it," the voice sneered.

But Mario didn't want to bring up the hero again. Luigi was still too fragile. If and when he asked Luigi about his brother, he would wait a long time before he did.

He finished his checks on Luigi, and his phone started ringing. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Well, hi there, hun. You promised to call me!"

"Pauline!" Mario was happy to hear the woman's voice. "Sorry, a doctor's work is never done." He noticed that Luigi had looked up at him curiously, at the mention of his brother's ex's name.

"Well, will your work at least have a break? I'd like to go on a proper date."

Mario smiled. "'Course. I could get us a table at a romantic restaurant."

"Mm," she hummed happily. "That sounds delightful."

"I'll pick you up at 7:00. What's your address?"

Luigi was still peering at him curiously as he hung up. "Have a good night, sir," the doctor said, and he left quickly. To get to Pauline's in time, he had to hurry. He also needed to call in for a seat. Those wouldn't come easily at the restaurant he was thinking about.

.

His date with Pauline was the best time he'd ever had. He was able to relax with her, able to talk to her without pretending—other than pretending he wasn't truly Super Mario, but for some reason that was not hard for him. He was starting to fall for her all over again, and he hoped more than anything that she felt the same. It felt good to be loved without needing to be a superhero. Here was one person that appreciated him for his company. Peach didn't hold a candle to this woman.

When the date was over and he escorted her back home, he kissed her on the porch and realized, for the first time, that he had never properly kissed a girl before. It almost made him blush, hoping that he was doing it right. He must've been, because she leaned into him and barely let him go afterward.

He felt on top of the world as he got home that night. He lay on his bed with a wide grin across his face. He couldn't hope to fall asleep after that night. He ended up turning on the television, and found himself watching a story about the book he had recently read… the one his brother wrote.

The woman was standing outside the library, and a picture of the book was displayed in the top corner. "The librarian refuses to tell us where she got it, saying she was sworn to secrecy by the author him or herself. No one knows who penned this book, and none have stepped forward to claim the title of author."

"What?" Mario sat up.

"For now, the book remains anonymous, but its captivating story reveals Mario's earliest times, so it is believed that the Yoshis have helped in the writing of this story. They have not denied it, but also refuse to mention anything about it. Could they have written this story of Super Mario? We'll let you know the latest about this story as the news comes."

Mario couldn't believe it. Daisy had so blatantly and without hesitation told him that Luigi wrote it. Why did the public not know it? Were they so forgetful of the green brother that they would not even notice his name on the cover? Then he realized… the only thing on the cover was the title. His name; not the author's. Why the anonymity? Mario couldn't help but feel the urge to find out.

.

Mario walked into Luigi's room early that morning. He leaned against the doorframe and scanned his face. Luigi was awake, looking out the window from his bed. "Hate to bother you," Mario spoke finally.

Luigi jumped and looked over at him. "Uh… Hello, Doctor…"

"I saw the most curious thing on the television last night." He looked up at the television as if it would tell the story for him, then turned back to Luigi. "A woman was talking about a book about the hero… and about how the author was anonymous."

Luigi's eyes flashed with a bit of nervousness. He was saved from responding when Princess Peach walked in.

"Oh, hello," she greeted the doctor monotonously.

"Princess," Mario didn't take his eyes from Luigi. "Thing is…" he continued. "I know exactly who the author was. Daisy told me herself."

"Of course she would…" Luigi mumbled.

"Anonymous? Why?"

"Because it doesn't matter that I wrote it! The book is for m-my b-b-brother's sake!" Mario noticed it was still difficult for him to mention him. "Not mine! Let it sit as a history for the people of the Mushroom Kingdom. Let it stand as a tribute to their h-hero."

Peach nodded, as if she, too, knew that he had written it from the start. "Luigi always told the story of Mario. Some of the citizens, especially the children, may even recognize his way with words in the text. It would be a known secret, most likely."

Luigi shook his head. "I don't care about that… I just… I just wanted…" he trailed off.

Mario started the questioning with this topic, "You never told your brother about your work… authoring his story."

"No."

"Did you not think he'd approve?"

"I… I never considered it. He was busy enough. I never really thought about showing him anything I was doing."

"You should have, you know," Peach spoke up gently. "He would have loved it. He would have been honored."

"Him? Honored by _me_?"

"Of course. And he would've been so proud."

Luigi smiled. "I'd like… I'd like to think so."

Peach placed a hand on his. "Learn to know so."

Luigi swallowed down some emotions, Mario believed, and continued his smile, his eyes sparkling with both gratitude and hidden tears.

"Didn't you catch that at all?" the voice asked.

 _What?_

"'Let it sit as a history for the people…' That's what he said. A 'history.' Didn't you claim Luigi would want it as a biography? For your sake… as a human being."

"A history…" Mario repeated aloud.

"What?" Peach asked.

He turned to Luigi. "It's a history. Even though it could be a biography."

"If that's how they categorized it, sure."

"But it's about your hero, right? A person?"

"It's about how he served to aid us through our history too," Peach answered.

"You wouldn't fight for it to be a biography? You would use that hero as a tool… a historical figure yet not worthy enough to be treated as a human being!"

Luigi's color drained from his face. "That's not—"

"Would you deny the book's purpose?"

Peach stood. "Luigi wrote it as a tribute to his brother from the start!"

"A tribute… waiting for the perfect ending, right? As if he was waiting for his brother to die… to be able to give it as a tribute… a memorial to what once was!"

"No…" Luigi whimpered. "No… he wouldn't think that, would he?" he addressed Peach with that question.

Peach turned to him, "No, of course not, Luigi. Your brother would see it for what it is."

"How could he?" Mario retorted. "He didn't even know it was being written! And now, it's revealed… when he's gone!"

Luigi shook his head violently. "No… no…" He swooned a bit and moaned.

"Stop it!" Peach snapped. "This isn't helping his health!"

Mario knew she was right, but at this point, he couldn't help it. This was the chance he had to talk to Luigi. He no longer was doing it to prove the voice wrong. He was doing it to find out the truth for himself. What did his brother really think of him? He was determined to find out.

He began, "Luigi, your brother was a hero. He raised you. You depended on him."

"Y-Yes," Luigi answered.

"Did you ever even consider that you may have been a burden to him?"

"A-A…" He hung his head. "Yes."

Mario wasn't expecting that answer. "What?"

"I was a burden. M-Mario raised me. I've always depended on him. I wish I didn't have to, but yes. I was."

"You never tried not to be, though."

He looked up. "Tried not to… be a burden?"

Mario nodded.

"I guess I… I never really… thought I could…"

"So you let him care for you, even as you became a grown man."

"Mario was his brother!" Peach defended. "Why wouldn't he?"

"So Mario was forced to raise his brother, protect him… all while he was a hero, saving and protecting you, Princess. All while he left his original life behind to fight for a cause… with no gratitude given him!"

The princess was about to snap back when he got a phone call.

He picked it up. "Hello?"

"I know you still technically have your vacation time, but we're a little swamped in the ER!" a doctor was on the other side. "Could you take the smaller cases?"

"Sure." He closed the phone and said. "I have to go." He left without another word, or letting them get another word in.

He was feeling broken. He couldn't figure it out. Was he just a hero? Just a guardian and a protector? Or was he loved for more? He didn't feel as comfortable with his friends and family as he did with Pauline. His brother was looking weaker and weaker in his eyes.

He went into the ER and saw Toadette with a bad cut on her leg. He called her back, thinking he could easily bandage her up without a problem. He still thought about his predicament while she watched him curiously. Finally, she said, "Pardon me, doctor, sir. Can I talk to you?"

Mario pulled himself from his thoughts. "Um… sure, kid."

"You've always seemed rather old yet new, sir."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you seem like you've never done this doctoring stuff before now… yet you seem like a natural… and you're awfully old, so you're not fresh out of school."

"And what makes you know so much about doctoring?"

"I've seen it done… and it was… rather similar to your style, sir."

Mario froze. He could have sworn… she seemed like she was looking right through him. He stared at her.

"Not that long ago… I got a cut like this one." She pointed to her leg. "Only on my arm." She noted her wrist. "My brother freaked out, as he always does when I get hurt… and… a _doctor_ bandaged me up."

Mario continued to stare.

"Tell me, sir. And please tell the truth… are you that doctor?"

She was truly wise beyond her years, Mario noted. She so slyly asked that question that Mario would not break the deal by remaining silent and ensuring her theory. He could tell her his identity without actually telling her. It was because she knew. She knew everything.

"We miss you, doctor."

"I have a lot to figure out, Toadette."

"As long as you come back to us." Toadette's eyes sparkled, though she did not smile. She looked at him with childish hunger, but he turned away. He couldn't face such innocence right now. She didn't know. She couldn't. How could she possibly understand the issues swimming around his mind right now?

She hopped off the table and thanked him. "Don't tell Toad, okay? No need for him to worry!" She grinned and headed for the hall. With one last look back over her shoulder, she left him there to his thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Oh Brother

After his wasted vacation days were done, Mario went back to work, feeling anything but rejuvenated. He tried to avoid Luigi's room whenever possible, just wanting to think on things for himself without internal or external voices going to war around him.

He most wanted to avoid Toadette, because now that she knew, she was always looking at him with such a hunger that it made his heart ache. He needed time to figure out whether his heart ached because he, too, missed his old life, or because he felt sorry for a little girl. Right now, he was believing the latter.

 _Who could blame me? Surely if they knew who I was, they wouldn't have spoken to me so honestly. They would have assured me of their love for me for more than what I do for them. But it was never true, was it? I'm a hero. That's just what I do. They'll never see me as anyone else. It even got so bad that_ I _didn't realize I hated it. Let them have their historical stepping stone. I'm done with them._ The voice was winning their mental battle.

He was able to spend a good amount of time with his new girlfriend, though. And now that the nagging feeling in his mind about how he broke up with her 'for a reason' was all but gone, he was able to move further in their relationship. He bought her gifts, she started paying for desserts, and he was able to kiss her goodnight every night.

Soon enough, he had to clear Luigi to be let go, since he had done the most checking up on his health. So he headed again for his room, hoping to get rid of him quickly and never worry about it again for a long while. Before he got completely into the room, he heard Luigi's voice louder than he had since the incident two months ago.

"I need to do something about it!" he was crying.

"What did the doctor say to him?!" Daisy's voice.

"Nothing that he should take so seriously," Peach answered.

Luigi's voice again, "But… I _was_ a burden! I always thought I was, and I was!"

"No, Luigi. Mario would never see you as a burden!" Daisy insisted. "Listen to yourself! Do you really think your brother would think that about you?"

"Why not? He's protected me all my life!"

"You were as much an aid to him as he was to you," Peach told him in a firm, serious tone.

"How?"

"Don't you remember what the Yoshis told you? You know that neither of you would've turned out how you did or so happy without each other."

Mario was shocked into that flashback. He remembered it. He and his brother had revisited Yoshi's Island to save their old guardian's son and the other Yoshis from imprisonment in their own kinds of eggs. It was so long after their original journey on Yoshi's island, and the elderly Yoshi had told them something that had both surprised and made perfect sense to them:

 _The brothers listened intently to the story about their first time on Yoshi's Island. And Mario discovered what he would be like without his brother. Apparently "Red Temper-Tears," the Yoshis' nickname for him, was an understatement. "You were fussy on our backs and anytime we got hit with something and lost you, you would scream and wail to no end!" The old green Yoshi chuckled. "Yeah, Cheery Greeny here was what finally cheered you up, lad." The old Yoshi gestured to Luigi. "He was always rather timid, but he laughed and smiled… especially at you, Mario."_

 _"_ At _me?" Mario asked. He glanced at his brother, who smiled sheepishly._

 _"That's not to say Luigi didn't have his share of drama. You two were the most dramatic children I've ever seen! A single trip and fall would make you wail. Hard to believe you're big-time heroes now!"_

 _"A single fall still makes this one wail," Mario teased, pointing at his brother._

 _"As if you've never screamed down a hole!" Luigi countered good-naturedly._

 _The old Yoshi laughed, "I suppose it's true what they say… True courage is being scared to tears—"_

 _"But fighting through it anyway!" his son finished._

 _The brothers looked at each other. How true that was indeed._

Those old Yoshis had basically insisted that the brothers depended on each other. They couldn't bring Mario to his home until Luigi could be taken with him. That was the only case of two brothers who weren't twins being delivered at the same time. It was because Mario would've been a hot-tempered handful without his brother. Never before had Mario ever considered how much he needed Luigi… perhaps as much as his little brother needed him.

He stood there for quite awhile until he heard Toadette's voice. "Doctor?" she asked up hopefully.

He snapped out of his thoughts. Ignoring the little girl, he entered the room. The reception he got was cold, but he tried not to let that bother him as he said, "You're to be released today, Luigi. I wish you well." And he left before they could say anything.

He found an empty room and sat on the bed in the dark. He laid his head in his hands and let his mind run away to the past. He never paid Luigi's influence much mind, but if he had never been his brother, Mario certainly would have turned out differently. Who knew how much differently? Based on his baby self, the tearful tantrum child, he could very well have been a jerk, the complete opposite of who he was. He wouldn't have had many dreams of helping people, whether as a doctor or hero, and was more likely to be like his cousins, who rarely thought of anyone but themselves. Maybe he was meant to have someone to protect.

He shook his head. _Meant to?_ He asked himself. _What does that even mean? This isn't some destiny or something! It's my life… I need to figure out what_ I _want to be… not what my brother made me._

He certainly didn't want to wind up like Wario and Waluigi, but he's come to realize he didn't like his actual life any better. _This_ was what he wanted. This life he was leading now. He hated to admit it, but he was grateful to that voice. She had given him his dream life.

He left the room in time to watch Luigi and his friends leaving the hospital. They went down the hallway, toward the glass doors. He didn't notice when Toadette showed up to his left. She didn't turn to him, but she spoke, "I can't imagine what it is that you need to work out, but I hope you see how much we miss you."

Mario paused, then turned to her. "Mushroom Kingdom is safe now. You don't need me."

"Not as a hero, maybe… but as family…"

Silence as Mario turned his head forward again.

Then, he spoke, "I have everything I've ever wanted. I have no worries… I'm a doctor… I have no one to care for but my patients."

He could see Toadette turn to him from the corner of his eye, "Sounds lonely."

He looked at her. Her face no longer held that hunger that he had seen before. She looked sad, not for her own sake, but for his. Like she really felt bad for him. "Not for long," he told her.

She tilted her head. She seemed to know he was not alluding to returning. "How?"

He thought about Pauline, the new love of his life. He could really see himself ending up with her. He could see himself being with her for the rest of his new life. But he didn't share this with Toadette.

When the awkward silence between them lasted long enough, she sighed. "Goodbye, doctor."

He watched her as she walked slowly down the hallway and to the door. She didn't turn back, didn't even stop. But Mario could tell from her pace that she was anything but happy. The voice whispered in his mind, "Even if she does care, that's one citizen out of thousands. One friend out of many you thought you had."

"I know," he answered aloud.

"So you admit that I'm right."

Mario didn't want to. He wished hard that he was wrong in believing her. But he longed for his new life. And he saw more and more the problems with his old one.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Bowser's Inside Story

So far, Mario was enjoying his day off. Which meant that it wouldn't last, as far as his old friends were concerned.

He heard a pounding on his door, as if the guest was trying to break in himself. He stood up from his seat at his table and placed a bookmark in his newest book.

The pounding started again, until he heard a snap, a creak, and a thump. "Oops," a gruff voice whispered.

Mario turned the corner to see the Koopa King himself, looking down at the fallen door, which had broken and landed hard enough to crack the wooden floor too. "I hope you know you're going to pay for that damage," Mario told his guest.

"Maybe," Bowser shrugged. "It depends on how I feel after our little chat."

Mario sighed. "Please, be my guest. You've already knocked down my door."

Bowser rumbled and sat down in a sturdy wooden chair while Mario took a seat at the far edge of his couch. "What can I do for you?"

"Just where do you get off talking to Mario's family that way, anyway?"

"And what way would that be?"

"Telling them terrible things. Making them feel worse than they already do." He seemed to have to hold back his fire between his teeth. "I have a mind to roast you on the spot."

"Brave words."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're not exactly a fear-inducing villain anymore, King Koopa."

"Maybe not," Bowser growled. "But I can still roast you." He paused. "…If you weren't doing such good as a doctor."

"It's a wonder Mario ever put up with you," the doctor said quite honestly.

"Leave the hero out of this!" Bowser snapped, much to Mario's surprise. "You may talk like you knew how he felt, but you wouldn't know a thing!"

Mario took in the irony of that statement.

Bowser continued, "You know it was Mario that was the first and for awhile the only one who trusted me when I switched sides?"

"Yeah, that much is in his story… or should I say _history_."

"Mario was all that his family says he was. Good, kind, generous. He could've torn me apart when I came, offering a truce, but he saw beyond our tiresome past and let me in his little gang of heroes. I may hate him for doing it so easily, thinking I'd so easily soften for his sake. But here's something I've never told anyone, and I'll roast you for sure if you repeat it… I was glad he did. Because I _was_ sincere. I hated losing. I was sick of being beaten up by that high-and-mighty plumber!"

"So you hated losing… and switched sides because of that."

"That and I realized I didn't agree with everything my father taught me. But you know what made me actually help them?"

"What?"

"Seeing how they were together."

Mario raised an eyebrow.

"It was at the party, held in my honor for the holidays, that I really saw it. Here I thought they were just some butt-kicking team. Or a damsel in distress waiting for her hero. But no, I had been wrong. That's why I was never successful. I underestimated who Mario really was. What everyone really meant to him."

"And what about what he meant to them?"

"Yes, he was a hero. And he was my rival for years. But doesn't my final decision show that he was more than that hero? He was able to change _my_ mind."

Mario thought about that. Bowser was always a variant villain to him. Some days, it was just kidnapping Peach. Other times, he was taking over galaxies or trying to gain ultimate power. Only after Bowser admitted his more peaceful side did Mario realize a lot of those plans came first from Kammy Koopa, his assistant and his father's right hand woman. She had wanted the greatest power for Powser's son, even from the moment he was a baby being nannied by _her_ right-hand Kamek. But Bowser, no one ever asked what he wanted.

Mario started to see the koopa in another light. He couldn't help but realize his likeness to Mario himself. "Kammy expected you to be the ultimate villain… just like the people of the Mushroom Kingdom expected Mario to be the ultimate hero… No one cared about his own feelings… as no one cared about yours."

Bowser was taken aback. "You think Mario disliked it as much as I did in the end?"

"I think it's possible."

Bowser scratched at the base of his left horn. "Hm…" He shook his head. "That's one thing. But it's no excuse to set Greenie off like that. You call yourself a doctor, and you may have made his condition worse!"

"What's it to you?"

Bowser peered at him carefully. "I guess you're right. I shouldn't care. It's just odd to see such a happy-go-lucky bunch turned absolutely miserable."

"Because of Mario's fall?"

"No… because of your words."

"Maybe they know they're true. Maybe they feel guilty about it."

"That's one possibility, sure. But I'd like to think not." He stood and went to leave.

"Is that all?"

"Yes," he said simply. "I guess it is." He looked down at the door he had to step on to get outside. "You're a doctor. You can pay for that door yourself." And with that, he left.

"I guess he didn't feel good about our chat," Mario mused, kneeling down to try to figure out the door. He thought about Bowser's relationship with him and the others. Though always full of turmoil, more recently, they've helped each other more often than not. Since Smithy, Bowser had been joining Mario's party often, until he actually decided to switch sides, more or less. What actually happened is he stopped kidnapping the princess. That's when Mario welcomed him as a friend:

 _"Watch it, stache man! I am no friend of yours!" Bowser snarled._

 _"Funny. You've sure been acting like a friend," Mario replied with humor._

 _"Just because helping you happened to help me, that does_ not _make us friends!"_

 _"You've stopped kidnapping Peach."_

 _"I've gotten over her," he replied innocently._

 _"Mm-hm… And no more kidnapping star spirits and other such things?"_

 _"Not worth the trouble."_

 _"Mm-hm…"_

 _"Stop looking at me like that!"_

 _"Give it up, Bowser. Come and join us for a kart race sometime, okay?"_

 _Bowser blinked at him._

 _"And bring that kid of yours too. I'm sure he'd enjoy it."_

 _Bowser continued to stare as he left his castle._

 _The next day, Bowser came for a friendly race. Within the week, he was being welcomed into Peach's castle without extra guards around him, after Mario had convinced her and Toadsworth that he would come in peace. Luigi took awhile to warm up to him, but they'd been through a lot of painful issues._

Mario froze in thought and action. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by a trembling hand. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Luigi's _left arm_. Bowser would never have come if it wasn't Luigi's _left arm_. Mario stood and ran out the door, quicker than if he had eaten a mushroom first.

He scolded himself on the way to his old home. Luigi was left-handed… it made his left arm the strongest, but it was also the weakest. His left arm was the one that Bowser had scratched and scarred years ago. His left arm was the one that had been injured similarly in battles a couple times since. It was his weak point, if such a thing existed. And Mario hadn't even thought of it, not even before his new life, when he saw Luigi clutching that bleeding arm.

He quickened his pace. Say what he will about Luigi's neediness, Luigi was weak enough to deserve to be needy. But at the same time, he was strong enough to ignore his own problems for the sake of others.

But Bowser knew. He was the only one besides Mario that knew that was an awful injury he had given him. He was the only one besides Mario who recognized it as a weak spot because of it. That's why Bowser had taken such an interest in what was going on with Luigi. He must have been blaming himself for the part he played in the man's latest injury, even though he hadn't been the cause of such injury for years. At the moment, it seemed like Bowser cared more about Luigi than his own brother.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The First Fight

Mario finally came up to the house, just to find it empty. He didn't hesitate to head for the castle. Even when the guards questioned him, he insisted he needed to see Luigi. "I've noticed something that may affect his wellness," he told them, very honestly. "I need to see him immediately."

He was let in the castle and found himself in the hall, where Daisy, Peach, and Luigi himself, were talking together. He sighed with relief, which made them notice his presence. They turned to him with a start.

"Doctor," Daisy was the only one to say anything, but it was clear she was no happier than the others to see him. That was the Daisy he remembered.

"Sorry to barge in, but I've come across something that made me need to double check something with you, sir," he addressed Luigi alone.

Luigi looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"We'll let the castle physician look him over," Daisy insisted.

"He doesn't know what I do. Please. It's for his own good."

Daisy couldn't argue too much, so she reluctantly gestured for the doctor to approach.

"Hold out your injured arm, please."

Luigi seemed to just notice that he had been rubbing it with his right hand. He put that hand to his side and lifted his weak dominant arm. He winced quite visibly.

"Luigi!" Peach gasped. "Are you alright?"

"You've had several past injuries on this arm, haven't you?" Mario asked.

"Y-Yes, doctor."

"Hm…"

Mario rolled up his brother's sleeve. What he saw did not look good. Daisy gasped, "Luigi! Why didn't you tell us?"

"I-It's nothing…"

"It's very much _something_!" Daisy was furious.

"I can help him," Mario stated simply. "Where can I work?"

Peach fidgeted uncomfortably. "Follow me," she finally said.

She led him to a side guest room, and he set to work. Daisy looked on eagerly. After some time, Toad and Toadette entered, undoubtedly hearing about the doctor's visit.

Peach saw them come in, then looked over at Luigi. "You're wrong, you know, doctor," she finally said.

Mario turned to her for a second, then back to his work. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Everything you've said about us… Everything you've assumed about the hero. You're wrong. We _do_ care about him as more than a 'tool.'"

"Hmph."

Peach tightened her fists, another thing quite out of character from what Mario knew of her. "You've been saying everything false and terrible about us… And I have to question… What about you?"

He turned to her again, puzzled, "What?"

"When's the last time you said thank you to those who honored you? When's the last time you treated others like human beings, instead of just things that needed fixed?"

"Excuse me?"

"You've complained about us treating a hero like a tool, like a mindless protector to all of us, but you have wealth and honor to your name from doing the same to your patients. You see them as tools of your trade. Have you ever set any of that aside to have relationships? Do you have family and friends like Mario? …A brother who would die for you?"

He heard Luigi sniff beside him, but kept his eyes locked on the princess. "Don't you mean that the other way around?"

"No. I don't. Because Mario may have been the main hero, but Luigi would've died for him in a second. Real family looks out for each other, not because they're forced with the expectations of each other, but because they can't stand to see each other get hurt." She looked at him with incredible disdain. "You claim to be kindhearted, a virtuous and helpful doctor, but you think like a heartless miser!"

Mario was struck speechless.

Luigi's soft voice came next, "You probably have no idea what it's like to be a brother… Let alone a brother of a hero."

Mario looked at him suspiciously. "So the truth comes out… You _were_ jealous of him."

Luigi shook his head. "No. I never envied his life. I hated it." He paused. " _He_ hated it."

Mario stared at him. _He_ hadn't even known he hated his life until his new life was granted. He breathed in, "How do you know that?"

"I could see it. Every day he set out with his light-hearted look, but I saw what his 'work' did to him. Sure, he actually did enjoy it some of the time… but who would want such a life-long job?"

That was exactly what Mario had come to discover. How did Luigi see it before he himself did? "He… He didn't know you knew that…"

"No. I guess he didn't."

Mario became a bit angry again. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I did. He shrugged it off as me just worrying. Almost made me believe it myself. But I saw… I saw what he was really feeling. He needed a break. He never got one."

Mario stared at his brother. He wasn't looking up, just looking down at his work on his arm. The doctor turned to Peach, who was looking at Luigi with a frown. Daisy was nodding and looking at Luigi. But when he turned to Toadette, she was looking straight at him. That hunger was back. Mario felt like he could cry.

He half-heartedly told Luigi what he had to do to let his arm heal better, and he left the castle and headed home while attempting to get his thoughts in order.

"You're not considering that little conversation able to break this life you've made for yourself, are you?" the voice asked.

"I began this life thinking you were wrong. How unbelievable is it really that I would pick that back up again?"

"But it isn't proof. Word and deed, hero. They are two different things. What have they ever done for you?"

Mario didn't need to wrack his brain to answer that question. "Plenty. They provided love, home, friendship. They provided happiness and they gave me the fame I enjoyed. They worried about me, cared about me, wanted me to be happy. Why didn't I realize it sooner? I _did_ love my past life. Because of _them_. I may have tired of heroing, but I never tired of being _their_ hero."

"You're a fool."

"No. My original belief stands. You're trying to trick me. And you won't succeed… in whatever you're doing or trying to do. Who are you, anyway?"

"I am your inner-most thoughts."

"My inner-most thoughts have the voice of a female?"

"You yourself have admitted that you've thought about these things I've told you. I'm telling you nothing you've never thought yourself."

"The thoughts have never been as powerful as you've made them. Who are you?!"

The voice growled, and suddenly, Mario had an intense headache. Suddenly, he blacked out and fell to the ground, right outside his new home.

 _"This is it, Luigi. This is where we win." Mario took a step forward, forming a fireball in his hand._

 _"Yeah… winning… that sounds… do-able…" Luigi was holding on to his left arm, but Mario didn't recognize that significance._

 _"Hopelessness is not helpful, bro," Mario chided._

 _"Yet you've always done fine with my negativity," Luigi winked._

 _The brothers approached Kammy Koopa for hopefully the last time. She had made herself more powerful than they had ever seen her. She looked like a giant shadow of herself, filled thickly with darkness itself. Her attacks were enough to blow apart the hills._

 _Mario and Luigi charged, but another strike separated the brothers. Luigi flew backward, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Mario was blown forward, straight toward the over-powered Magikoopa. She raised her wand, but at that moment, Mario pulled out his reserved star. No one knew he had it. He absorbed its power and charged Kammy, glowing with the rainbow._

 _Luigi, nearly unconscious, was crying out to him. "Mario! No!" He couldn't see that Mario… was_ invincible _as that explosion of darkness let loose across the land._

 _Mario opened his eyes and found himself in a sort of void, a strange, unreal place that made him think he had been knocked out. But he carried on a conversation with that voice. She knew just what happened… she seemed to know more than that… She knew everything about him… everything about his family and friends and the Mushroom Kingdom…_

She had offered so much insight that he had never thought he was considering… brought the worst thoughts from the back of his mind to the front of his thoughts. She had turned him against his family and friends… against his heroic duty. Sure, he needed a break, but she had insisted that he break from everything in his former life.

He opened his eyes as those last thoughts fell into place. He should've known. How could he not have recognized that voice? Now, he had to fix his mistakes, before she harmed them any more than she had caused _him_ to.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Aftermath

He stood up. He was standing where his house was, but it was no longer there. He brushed off his clothes and saw his familiar overalls being dusted off by his old white gloves. He smiled as he tapped the brim of his red hat. He smiled wider as he felt his mustache above his mouth. He was back.

He wasted no time and headed for the Mushroom Kingdom. But the kingdom was shrouded in a deep shadow. The mushroom people were in such a panic, they didn't even see him approaching. Only one citizen noticed him and ran to him. It was Toadette.

Despite the looming darkness, her grin couldn't be denied. "You've come back!" she hugged Mario so tight, he thought he'd be thinner than Waluigi when she was through with him.

"Toadette… What's going on?"

"It's crazy!" Her grin disappeared and was quickly replaced with panic. "Out of nowhere… She's back, Mario! She's back!"

Mario didn't have to ask who. She was trapped long enough inside him. It took him doubting himself and doing her work for her to get her out to torture Mushroom Kingdom's citizens even more.

He tightened his fists. "It's time to make up for lost time…"

Toadette looked up at him curiously.

"I made a terrible mistake, Toadette… I listened to a bad-guy… I listened to that evil witch instead of my heart…"

"She made you doubt us. That's why you were questioning us like that…"

Mario nodded. "But she's gone too far. I should have never let her cloud my thoughts. We're a family… all of us together… heck, even Bowser. I shouldn't have ever doubted that."

"What are you going to do?"

"Fight her."

"What if…" She couldn't finish, but Mario could see fresh tears in her eyes. "What if you really _do_ die this time, Master Mario?"

Mario looked down at her. Before, he would jump into battle without a second thought. In his "new" life, he would've been frustrated to think he had to risk his life for barely anything. Now, though, he thought about who he was saving, and who he would leave behind if he died. He couldn't stand to make them as sad as he had seen them as _Doctor_ Mario. He refused to let them mourn him again. But he had to do something, or they'd get killed themselves.

"I have an idea, Toadette. But I need you to be brave." He knelt down to her level. "Can you do that for me?"

Toadette sniffed, wiped her eyes, and nodded.

"Good girl." Mario smiled at her. "Go back to the castle and find Daisy. Tell her, and only her, that I'm alive. Tell her I trust her to hold the witch off from the others."

Toadette nodded and ran off to the castle.

If anyone could protect the others in Mario's absence, it was Daisy. He just hoped that she trusted him enough to do as he says.

.

It wasn't hard to get into the castle. The front door was already blown to pieces by a blast of insanely powerful darkness. Mario wore the suit of a fire flower's blessing. This time, he was going to win without repercussions. This time, he would save everyone, including himself.

"I can blast through that door just as easily as the front door!" the voice sneered, this time outside Mario's head. "I'd hate to cause more damage to this beautiful castle!"

"Try it, granny!" Daisy shouted back.

Mario smirked. Only the Princess of Sarasaland would have those kinds of guts.

A blast was heard, but the voice screeched. "WHAT?! How is this possible?"

"Oh, sorry. Were you trying to get in?" Daisy taunted.

There was another blast as Mario quickly made his way down the hall, silently as he could. He had nothing but complete trust in Daisy's ability to hold down the fort, quite literally, while he came in for the counter attack.

Soon, he could see her, the tall, black, powerful figure of the witch he had battled those months ago. The one who had caused everything from the start. He was within striking distance. He formed a fireball in his hand. And he blasted it into the wall beside him.

The noise was enough to make the witch turn to see him and growl a little. But it was also the moment that Mario slid into the blocked-off room and grinned at Daisy. "Knew you wouldn't let me down, Princess," he said.

He tossed a bunch of stars to Luigi, Peach, and, of course, Daisy. "Ready to rock?" Daisy asked him.

"I'd say it's about time."

Mario missed kicking butt, he realized as they charged the dark witch together. She couldn't defend against four as easily as she could defend against just him. She was defeated without much of a challenge, because this time Mario thought through the battle all the way. It was going to be his final battle, after all.

The smoke cleared, just as Luigi had described in his book. But they were all still standing; they were all still alive.

Daisy dusted off the front of her gown. "'Bout time, hero," she said. "When you sent Toadette, I thought you expected me to do your job for you."

"You… knew?" Luigi was staring in shock.

Daisy turned to him. "Stop staring and hug your brother, already, Weegie!"

Luigi wasted no time to run to his brother and wrap his arms around him. "Mario… I…"

"I know, Weeg," Mario felt good to be in his brother's embrace.

Peach approached the pair. "Mario… I can't believe that… You… I…"

Mario smiled, still patting his brothers back as he felt his warm tears on his shoulder.

Peach leaned over and kissed him overtop his bushy mustache, causing Daisy to coo teasingly. "Mario…" tears were flowing from her now.

"Aw, geez, you guys!" Daisy laughed. "This is supposed to be a happy day! Mario's back! Stop your crying!"

Luigi finally pulled back from his brother, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. Peach came in and embraced him, giving him another kiss.

"Wait…" Luigi started. "Toadette… you sent Toadette?"

"She saw me out in the streets. Where is she now?"

Daisy looked around. "Why isn't she with us? I thought she stayed here."

Peach gasped. "No! She went to find Toad! He wasn't with her, so she wanted to make sure he was okay while we held off Kammy!"

Mario had a sickening feeling in his gut, and it looked like Luigi had that same feeling. Peach and Daisy looked worried, themselves. They ran off through the hall. They came upon the mushroom children, but Toad was trapped under the stones of a blasted wall, pinned and looking rather green. Toadette was crying over him.

Mario knelt down next to them, and Toadette looked up. "Would it be too much to ask…" she gasped through her sobs.

"Sh…" Mario held a hand up and took Toad's pulse. He was alive, thank goodness. "He's gonna be okay, Toadette. Don't you worry one bit."

She smiled through her tears. As Mario started to free him from the stones with the help of the others, he couldn't help but realize how well Toad and Toadette's sibling relationship reflected his and Luigi's. They would do anything for each other. The elder was protective of the younger. The younger worried about the elder. They both had hearts of gold, willing to help anyone at a moment's notice. You didn't have to be a superhero to be a hero.

Toad was soon on the bed where Mario had treated Luigi's arm that same day. He worked quickly and soon Toad looked more like himself. "His legs will need time to heal. And he just needs a little rest after all that."

Toadette nodded. Mario stood and turned toward the others, who looked at him like he had just sprouted another stache.

"What?"

Luigi looked like it was hard for him to breath. Daisy looked on the verge of anger. Peach, on the verge of disappointment. Toadette gulped beside him. That's when he knew. They knew. They knew everything.

Luigi backed up, leaving the room before Mario could stop him. He tried to advance to the door, but the minute he crossed Daisy's path, she slapped him. "I can't believe you!" her voice trembled.

Mario rubbed his stinging cheek, "There's so much more to it."

"You better wish to every Luma in the sky you can make up a good enough excuse."

"It's not an excuse. I'm at fault for it, I know. I listened to that witch with barely a second thought more than just a glimmer of hopefulness, and she tricked me in the end." He paused. "I'm terrible."

"Did you really believe all of that? Everything you asked us? Everything you said to Luigi?"

Mario couldn't lie, but he also knew now that he _was_ wrong. He wanted more than anything for it to have been his secret, something they would never find out. But secrets always come out in the end. "Not now. Not after realizing what I almost lost. Not after hearing everything you said about me… seeing how all of you, even you, Daisy, mourned for me. I hate myself for it. But I can't change my mistakes. I can just make up for them."

"Of course Luigi will forgive you." She shook her head. "But know that I never will."

Mario sighed. "Daisy, I'm sorry." She turned her back to him. He looked at Peach. "I'm sorry. I was doubtful when I should have known better."

Peach lowered her head.

.

Mario felt like kicking a dozen koopa shells. He hated himself so much at that moment.

"You hate me, don't you?" a sad, soft voice.

He reeled around to see his brother, still clutching that injured arm.

"As I got older I felt more and more like I was a burden… I was, wasn't I?"

"Luigi," Mario didn't know whether he should feel relieved that his brother was talking to him, or further guilty that he was so good to do so. "That's just not true."

"Do you really think we use you?"

"Luigi." Mario put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You were never a burden. You were a blessing." Luigi looked up at him sadly, his eyes wet and shining. "You knew something about me that I didn't even know myself. You were always able to read me. You were always the best brother a guy could ask for." He looked Luigi straight in the eyes. "The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you."

Luigi's eyes were sad. It broke Mario's heart, but he held his gaze. Soon, they sparkled, but not with oncoming tears. "Mario… I…"

"I have my whole life ahead of me to make it up to everyone. Everything I failed to do… Everything I messed up. They may never forgive me, but I'll—"

Luigi pulled him into a hug. "I love you, bro."

Mario returned the hug and realized that he, himself, was crying.

Luigi let go of him, and he felt Peach's hand on his shoulder. "Daisy tends to exaggerate," she half-smiled, gesturing over her shoulder at the other princess. She was standing with her head down. "We've come to realize one important thing."

"What's that?"

"You fought back," Peach said simply. And she continued, "You didn't leave us forever. You could have stayed in that new life, but you always found your way back. You cared about us… even when you didn't think we cared about you. Doesn't that tell us something?"

Mario swallowed. "I never noticed, even as I did it… But yeah… You're right. I wanted to make sure you were all alright." He turned to Luigi. "When I realized what I knew about your arm… I wanted to make sure you healed properly. I wanted to come back to my old life, and I didn't even know it!" He smiled through his own tears.

"And you trusted me to help you," Daisy added. "You told me you were alive and let me play my part."

"Perfectly, I should add."

Daisy grinned again. Then, for the first time since he met her, she gave him a hug. There was nothing like a Daisy hug. And for the first time, Mario truly felt like her friend. "Try not to die again, okay, doctor?"

"That's the plan."

.

If Mario knew one thing through all his adventures, it's that he always came back happy. As hard as any of his journeys were, as annoyed as he may have been in the back of his mind to have to go, he realized that he was always happy at his homecoming. Why? Because he was surrounded by his friends and family. He had saved their lives. And true, they loved him for it. But they also loved him because he was Mario.

Needless to say, he had a few things to explain to Pauline. He wondered if she'd believe it was him the whole time. He never knew. She was too upset that her boyfriend was breaking up with her, again, to be worried about whether he was the same man as her last ex. Mario realized what he knew before. Pauline was only interested in him for her own sake. He decided someone else would have to give her the fat purse. He would be glad if he never saw her again.

Bowser wasn't surprised that Mario was alive, in the end. He said of course he was, and didn't really react much more than that. But Mario knew he cared. As much as Bowser "hated" it, they were friends. "Think of it more like frenemies," Bowser corrected. That was a start.

Daisy and he certainly got along a lot better. She still was protective over Luigi, but Mario had given her fewer opportunities to hate him, if any. She was kinda like his right hand woman when he needed some tough company. She even outranked Bowser as his go-to tough guy.

As for Peach, he realized, almost too late, how he didn't need to pretend with her. She loved him despite his mistakes, and he knew there were several. She never judged him for his needs, and she was supportive of his baby brother. That was something he never had with Pauline.

As for Luigi, he and Mario were best bros, just like always. And each of them made sure the other knew how much he meant to him. As far as Mario was concerned, he was never going to let Luigi fret or feel ignored ever again. He even just about pounded Luigi's name into Toadsworth's memory… or at least threatened to.

Mario could never doubt anyone ever again. And he was never tempted to. After all, the Mushroom Kingdom was safe since Kammy's final defeat. In the end, he supposed he got that wish she promised him for being right. Peace. What greater wish was there? As far as he was concerned, it was time for them all to relax and enjoy each other's company in peace. Because that's why he saved the world in the first place.


End file.
